New Delhi: Around 300 active mobile connections were found in the facility at the JeM’s Balakot camp hours before the February 26 IAF air strike, technical surveillance carried out by the NTRO (The National Technical Research Organisation) confirmed on Monday.

Reports claimed that the number of active mobile phones provides a clear indication of the total number of inmates housed at the terror camps, when it was completely destroyed by 12 Mirage-2000 fighter jets of Indian Air Force rained bombs.

“Similar number of active targets were corroborated by other Indian intelligence agencies as well that had inputs suggesting the same number of operatives in JeM terror camp in Balakot,” News Agency ANI quoted sources as saying.

The NTRO reportedly began its surveillance soon after the IAF had received clearance to target the Pakistani terror camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

On February 26, 12 Mirage 2000 IAF jets penetrated deep inside the Pakistani air space and launched 1,000 kg Spice 2000 bombs at the camp in Balakot, which allegedly housed terrorists, including commanders, and an ammunition dump.

“During technical surveillance, it emerged that there was a presence of around 300 mobile phones with active signal strength inside the facility in the days leading up to the strike. The facility was destroyed by the IAF fighters,” added first-hand sources on conditions of anonymity.

Meanwhile, the government has not announced number of casualties in the strike. Earlier in the day, at a press conference in Coimbatore, IAF chief BS Dhanoa said that the government would soon release the numbers. He also confirmed that the target had been destroyed by Indian fighter jets.

On Feb 26, top government leadership gave approval for the air strikes on the Jaish training camp after the Pakistan-based terror outfit carried out the deadliest suicide attack in Kashmir when a CRPF convoy in Pulwama was targeted by a car bomb driven by a JeM terrorist that killed 40 security personnel on February 14.

Hours after the air strike, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale reportedly said that “a large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders were eliminated” in Balakot air strike. In an intelligence-led operation, Indian fighter planes struck at the Jaish facility, Gokhale had said, calling the raids “pre-preemptive” action against the terrorists who were planning further attacks in India.